Chapter 42 Let’s go Together!

After a full day of enjoying Rotra and receiving a large amount of meat from the King, Sion and the others left for their next destination.

Just outside the gate, there was a picturesque man leaning his back against the outer wall, one hand raised.

“I’m so sad you guys leaving already”

“Crail. You came all the way out here…”

“Of course. Sion-san, Haku-san, and Aria-san have definitely become an unforgettable part of my life”

After saying that, Crail presents a burlap bag containing something to Shion.

He opened it up and saw that it contained more than a dozen knives and a bottle full of a light-yellow liquid.

“This is a throwing knife. If you have a storage system, it won’t be a hassle to bring right?”

“You’ve prepared various things, huh?”

“Well, it may not be necessary for Shion-san. The yellow liquid is a mixture of poisonous insect liquid, and when applied to the blade, it also works against monsters!”

“I’d like to do something for you too…”

“It’s okay! This is to thank you for the other day. Our paths may be different, but I believe there will be a day when we will cross again. When we do, I look forward to working with you”

“Yeah, we’ll definitely see each other again”

The two men shook hands firmly and parted amicably.

Shion and others go to Goddess Athena’s place, as per Aria’s wish, and told the people that worship her that the Ogre Incident has been resolved by Goddess Athena’s powers[1]. After the report, Haku speaks up a little airily and modestly.

‘Now then, onto our next destination… Aria-san, would you like to come with us?’

She was just a helper on this case. Anyone can imagine that a Hero’s work is busy. She could not just relax and enjoy the journey.

Aria put her fingers under her chin and didn’t open her mouth for a minute.

“………… Shion is going to get his powers back, isn’t he? I want to help him, too. But being a Hero means I have a duty to fulfill”

“We’ve already received too much Aria’s help. I don’t want you to push yourself”

Aria looks a little miffed at those words.

“Does that mean I’m in the way if I come along?”

“No, of course not. There is no more powerful ally than Aria”

“So, you want …… me to follow you?”

She looked up to Shion, which in the middle of nervousness, and asked that. Shion nodded a little.

Aria’s eyes softened happily, and she looked up at the sky for a while.

Then, just as the policy was decided, she took off her ring, the proof of her “Heroism”.

“I’m going to go back to the country. I’ll be right behind you after that. Just tell me where you two are going”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to quit being a Hero?”

“Yup! I’ve already had a potential successor after all. I’ve already decided on this, so it’s no use convincing me to stop!”

Shion was surprised by the decision, but he couldn’t say anything since he was retired too.

‘Will you quit being a hero to save your friends? You really are a maiden’

“I know! Maybe I’m not cut out for this “Hero” thing. I’d rather save my friends in front of me than save a bunch of other people who I’ve never met”

“If it’s your decision, it’s probably for the best. But I just want to say this. Thank you, Aria”

When he patted her on the head as he used to do in the past, Aria blushed and smiled.

“Okay, well, I’m gonna go now, and I’ll be right back”

After asking Shion where the next [Demon Robbing Stone] was located, Aria left them to return to her country.

In a happy mood, Aria proceeds with a skip in her step.

She was aware that she wasn’t that good at being a Hero because she was the type of person who had a lot of personal feelings.

If there is a call for the Hero, you must respond to it, no matter if your closest friends are lying on the floor or your family is in trouble.

In fact, she had the bitter experience of not being able to see her friend die because of it. After the funeral was over, she even wondered if she should quit being a hero and go back to being just a girl.

Even so, she continued to do so because she wanted to be a Hero like Sion.

But he was a retired hero now. She feels like there was no reason to be a hero anymore.

“1, 2, Hop! 1, 2, Hop!”

The thought of being relieved of the burden of Hero makes her happy, and she takes a strange step.

You can travel with the person you love. It’s a dream come true for a girl of her age.

While Aria was in such a state of excitement, a monster was coming at her from behind with great speed.

“Wha…! Wai…! Wha…!?”

Aria is in a hurry to pull out her sword, but the demon’s speed is faster than she expected, and she crosses her arms to prepare for the damage from the body blow.

“…Ara?”

The pure white monster passed by normally and came to an abrupt halt with a cloud of dust in front of it.

‘Where are you headed, Young Lady?’

At this point, Aria finally smiled and sheathed her sword.

“Valenciu Kingdom, Fox Monster-san”

‘Well, that’s an odd coincidence. We were planning to head in that direction as well’

“Ara? Really?”

‘They say [It’s no journey without a company], right?’

When the monster spoke, the dark-haired young man on his back climbed down and knelt down in front of Aria.

“I have one seat left. Would you like to join us?”

“What a gentleman you are! I’ll take your offer then!”

Escorted by the young man, Aria settled down on the back of the fluffy white fur.

“Then, Haku-san, will you please depart?”

Aria finally couldn’t hold back her laughter at his clearly overworked tone.

“Hahahaha! That’s enough! It’s too much! Especially Shion!”

“Right? I also thought so. It is because Haku kept asking me [Do it! LET’S DO IT!]”

‘Gentleman Shion, I thought it looked good on you~’

“But I’m so happy. You’ll let me follow you guys, won’t you?”

Sion and Haku responded with a thumbs-up as if it was obvious.

Sion’s journey is not that hurried, and he would rather enjoy life as well. Besides, if he were to quit being a Hero, he might get into some kind of trouble.

There was nothing strange about wanting to accompany Aria if she was a fellow companion.

Thus, the journey of Shion and his friends started anew.

The weather was fine, but the wind was so strong that it made everyone’s hair stand on end.

‘Be careful not to fall off’

“You can grab on to me”

With such grateful permission, Aria squeezed her hand around Sion’s stomach in front of her.

In addition, she buried my face in his reliable back and said a few small, small words.

“I Love You”

It was not loud enough for people to hear, and it was quickly blown away by the wind.

Now then.

Haku was grinning now, though it was hard for the two riding on his back to notice.

Why is that?

It’s simple.

This was because Haku had much better hearing than humans.